CFLA- Catalyst
by GemNika
Summary: She needed someone to be there for her, and there he was. Submission for the CFLA March Collaboration: 'Perks of the Job: We Love You, Jason' [Complete.]


**Alright my lovelies. It's time for another **_**Crack Fiction Liberation Army **_**collaboration! (There will be a note at the bottom where you can see who the other authors are (along with their titles, etc.) that participated this time around. This month's prompt:**

**Perks of the Job: We Love You, Jason!**

**As always, the goal of CFLA with these collaborations is to bring you readers something new and fresh to gobble up! Random crack pairings, insane plots, so much fluff that Aries would be jealous, and lemons that make you blush for hours! We're dedicated to finding the under-loved characters of Fairy Tail and bringing them out into the spotlight.**

**So, without further ado, I give you **_**Catalyst.**_

**(I don't own Fairy Tail… yet *shifty eyes*)**

* * *

It was just another day in the Fairy Tail guild hall. To anyone else, things had never been better. Lucy was rescued from the clutches of Phantom Lord, her father finally having gotten a clue after she had apparently confronted him. That guild had disbanded, and Fairy Tail had gained two new members: Gajeel and Juvia. Both ex-Phantoms seemed determined to put their pasts behind them and embrace the Fairy way, even if they were a little odd in how they went about it. Only a couple of weeks had gone by since Gajeel had finally joined, and now that the guild was completely reconstructed there was a celebratory brawl in the very center of it. Bursts of magic were flung in every direction, joyous and victorious shouts rose from the caster with each successful hit, limbs flailed violently with only the keenest of eyes able to really tell what belonged to whom.

Mira smiled and hummed happily as she polished another glass at the bar, fully enjoying the small breaks that these brawls gave her from the never-ending task of being the barmaid to a bunch of crazy drunks. _'They might be crazy, but who really likes sane anyway?'_ she thought. Her matchmaking senses began to tingle, a sure sign of some fun to be had in the hopes of bringing her family within the guild some semblance of romantic happiness, just before the doors were kicked open to reveal a grinning Natsu and Happy, with a panting and frazzled Lucy being dragged behind them. Mira's eyes honed in on the sight of Natsu's hand holding onto Lucy's, their fingers laced together in a small show of endearment between the two. She knew they were close, and had only grown closer since that whole Phantom Lord debacle, but Mira really wanted the two to just come out and admit their feelings for one another already.

"Mira, you've got that creepy look again," Laxus grumbled before taking a swig of his beer and leaning his back against the bar.

Mira pursed her lips, her eyebrows drawing together as she was ripped from her fantasies of salmon-haired, brown-eyed babies with the last name Dragneel. "It's not 'creepy,' Laxus."

Laxus snorted. "Sure, whatever you say."

"You'd think my boyfriend would be less of a dick," Mira grumbled to herself. She and Laxus had been together for nearly a year now, and every time he acted like this it just served to show how much she had actually matured since Lisanna had died. When Laxus was an ass before, Mira would pound him into the ground relentlessly. Now though… She took it with a grain of salt, reminding herself that there was such a thing as someone having a bad day… or week, she supposed.

"I was a dick when we got together," Laxus retorted, turning his hardened steely gaze on Mira, "I'm not changing, and you know it."

Before Mira could reply, a shrill shriek was heard through the boisterous guild. Everyone went completely still, even the brawl coming to a crashing halt, as a voluptuous blonde was catapulted from the fray. Her face was a mask of terror as she arced through the air, her arms and legs flailing wildly in an attempt to keep her mini-skirt from giving the lecherous coots that had foregone fighting a better view of her lingerie. In the blink of an eye, poor, sweet, innocent Lucy landed face-first in Laxus' lap.

Lucy had closed her eyes and braced for impact as she had reached the top of her ascension into the air before plummeting back down towards the ground, so she had no clue where her trajectory would have taken her. Needless to say, when she landed and heard a masculine grunt, Lucy's eyes shot open only to see a swath of deep purple filling her vision before she registered the uncomfortable feeling of a belt buckle digging into her cheek. She blinked repeatedly, trying to get her brain to register just what was happening when she heard a deep and cocky-as-hell chuckle sounding from above her. Not willing to move any portion of her body, still too shocked to even figure out what was going on or where she had landed, Lucy slowly lifted her eyes to see a smug smirk planted just below a lightning-shaped scar. Her gaze continued travelling upwards until she was met with amused and lust-filled stormy blue eyes. Just for good measure, Lucy kept going to see spiky… blonde… hair. _'Oh, kill me now… It's Laxus!'_

"If you wanted your face in my lap, you could've just asked, Blondie," Laxus said with a lecherous smirk.

Lucy's eyes went comically wide and she shook her head to immediately deny that she'd want anything like that with the mage, especially when that mage was dating Mira Jane Strauss! When she saw Laxus raise his scarred eyebrow at her, Lucy realized her mistake. She's just rubbed her face all over his _crotch_! Her entire face flamed a brilliant red as she squawked and scrambled backwards across the floor, frantically swiping the imaginary evidence of where she'd just been from her face, and spluttering like a lunatic while trying to explain herself to Mira in the attempt at keeping her viscera intact. "N-NO! I wasn't—wouldn't w-want—and then—with the lap—w-would _never_—it's just well it was an accident and I wouldn't do that with _him! _OH! Not that you're a bad guy or anything Laxus it's just I don't know you or anything like that and well—but even if I _did_ know you… you're… y'know with Mira and I would _never ever_… IT'S NATSU'S FAULT!" Finally, after having thrown her best friend under the proverbial bus, Lucy flopped onto the ground in utter exhaustion and covered her flaming face with her hands, not realizing that her knees were propped up and pulled together in a way that gave Laxus a perfect panty-shot.

The only thing Mira registered was where Lucy landed, and Laxus' response to it. She was instantly reminded of the fact that her _boyfriend _had already showed his interest in Lucy's body once before with his refusal to help them during the Phantom attack on Fairy Tail. A time she tried everything in her power to forget. He'd demanded that the young blonde 'become his woman' along with getting to see Cana topless in exchange for his help. At the time, Mira had simply chalked it up to the recent argument he'd had with Makarov, and the reason for his absence from the guild around then in the first place. Now though… Now Mira was seeing it for what it was. A blatant disrespect of her own position as the woman on his arm, the woman that cared about him even though he was a raging asshole most of the time.

Laxus ignored the startled gasps of the other Fairy Tail members, including Mira's, and simply let his gaze travel over the busty blonde while she panted on the floor.

"Luce!" Natsu shouted, running over to Lucy and helping her stand up. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drag you into that! I got carried away, and well… You flew pretty high though… That was _awesome_!"

Lucy sighed and shook her head when she saw Natsu's signature grin shining back at her. That smile always threw her off-kilter and made her feel safe and secure all at the same time. It eased the anxiety she felt over these next few minutes most likely being her last before Mira properly eviscerated her, and Lucy couldn't help but giggle. "Well, I flew pretty far too, Natsu. Thanks for that, by the way." She playfully narrowed her eyes at her partner, feeling the deep blush in her cheeks changing from one of embarrassment to something that was only reserved for the pink-haired pyro that could always make her laugh.

Natsu threw a hand behind his head, a light blush on his own cheeks when he remembered just how it had happened. He'd gotten into a random slapping fight with Gray, without using their magic for once, and had accidentally swung Lucy around with the hand he hadn't realized was still clasped with her own. She'd caught Gray off-guard with her very presence in the brawl, and started hurtling towards the bar when a stray hit from Elfman vaulted her into the air. The reason for Natsu's blush was, of course, because he'd gotten quite the uninhibited view of what lay hidden beneath her skirt.

Cana paused as she was lifting her barrel of beer to her mouth and looked warily at Mira. One glance at the smug bastard that the sweet barmaid had decided to date had Cana's own ire rising as she remembered just how upset Mira had been over what's he'd said during the Phantom War. _'She broke the lacrima that day,' _Cana thought worriedly, seeing small fissures appearing in the glass that Mira was absently polishing.

_'He wants Lucy so badly? Fine!'_ Mira thought as she ran over the countless times that Laxus had wronged her during their time together. Dates that became rain checks, then were always left 'unchecked', so to speak. How he disappeared for weeks even when he wasn't on missions in the log book. Unfulfilled promises. How he looked at other women, even when Mira was right _freaking there_. Mira slowly put down the glass she'd been about to break, then turned to the wall of liquor bottles with an utterly blank expression. She knew that her feigned sweet smile put people on edge, because they could tell that she was up to something. So instead, she simply grabbed one of their newer bottles of high-proof vodka that Cana was going to be testing out at some point—most likely when she was in the mood for vodka—and turned back to grab a shot glass. "Laxus?" Mira asked softly, trying to hide just how much he'd finally hurt her with how careless he could be.

"What?"

"Were you serious?"

Laxus rolled his eyes. "About _what_?"

"About… Lucy…" Mira whispered sadly, feeling her body betraying her by letting tears well in her eyes.

Laxus smirked and glanced across the room to the table that Lucy and Natsu had wandered off to when they saw that Mira wasn't planning on dismembering the little blonde, eyeing her once more before he snorted and said, "Blondie with the huge rack? Sure, why no—"

The entire guild gaped at what they'd witnessed. It seemed as though Mira had finally had enough of the way her relationship with Makarov's grandson was going, and his words about Lucy only seemed to cement it. They'd watched in intrigued horror as Mira nodded and a few tears fell down her cheeks. Faster than they could see, she'd lifted the unopened bottle of alcohol that she had pulled from the shelf and brought it down onto Laxus' head. The bottle shattered with the force of the blow, and shards of glass covered the now irate Lightning mage, along with the entire contents of the bottle seeping into the small cuts and scrapes along his skin and soaking into the thick fur lining his prized coat.

"What the fuck, Mira?!" Laxus shouted, standing to his full height and glaring down at the white-haired beauty he'd been lucky enough to get as his girl.

"We're done," Mira said firmly, throwing the portion of the bottle's neck that was still intact at Laxus, then storming around the bar with Elfman hot on her heels. "Stay the hell away from me, Laxus! I'm apparently not good enough for you, so find someone who is!"

Elfman knew that he was no match for Laxus in a fight, but he hated seeing his big sister cry. "It's not manly to make your woman cry…" he bellowed, turning once he and Mira reached the doors of the guild. He gave Laxus a glare that held almost as much menace as the blond's, and added, "Real men don't flirt with other women… ESPECIALLY not in front of their girlfriend!"

Makarov slowly shook his head as he watched from the balcony, looking from the closing doors of the guild down to his grandson. Everyone makes mistakes, which was something that Makarov knew well, but Laxus had _never_ intentionally hurt one of his guild mates. And for Mira of all people to be the one brought to tears by his grandson's insensitivity just broke Makarov's aged heart. Without a word, he watched as Cana actually put down her beer and went behind the bar to start cleaning up. Lucy was the next one to start making her way to the bar, picking up the tray that Mira always used and moving around the guild to start collecting any dirty dishes. Laxus was just standing in the same place he'd been in when Mira left, staring at the doors as they closed him off the from the girl Makarov knew he fell in love with.

* * *

Mira sat patiently in the waiting room of Sorcerer Weekly's office, having arrived half an hour early for her appointment with Jason to do an interview and photo shoot. Since she'd stopped using her magic, Mira had grown accustomed to taking these kinds of jobs from time to time to help Elfman when it came time to pay the bills. It was something that was simple for her to do, and she really didn't mind it one bit. If anything, it would give young girls out there a positive role model to look up to. They could see a strong, independent woman that takes charge of her own life. At least, that's what Mira kept repeating to herself again and again while she waited.

After the confrontation and resultant break-up with Laxus, Mira had decided that she really couldn't be around the guild right then. She loved her friends and family at Fairy Tail, but she didn't think that she'd be able to stay mad at Laxus long enough for it to sink in that this was really the end of their relationship. Elfman was the one that spoke with Makarov, and made sure to have each shift at the bar covered for the duration of Mira's absence. Two days later, Elfman had come into Mira's bedroom with a small bag already packed for her, along with a slip of paper that only had a date, time, and address written on it. One look at the address told her that she'd been scheduled for a photo shoot—something that her younger brother knew ended up lifting her spirits no matter what—and that was that.

It was the third day since she'd broken a bottle of 192 proof vodka over Laxus' head in the guild, and Mira was already regretting her decision to do it. She wanted to be mad at him, wanted it more than anything, but… It was always the same. She would instantly remember what Laxus used to be like when his dad was still in the guild, before the older man's excommunication that no one really knew the reason behind. Before Laxus got the scar on his face. Mira always thought back to the sweet and kind boy she'd met when she and her siblings joined Fairy Tail, and that image was what kept her coming back to him time and time again. The big blond knucklehead had rooted himself in her heart a long time ago. He'd buried himself so deeply that every time she thought about just giving up, she'd find another piece of him within her that showed how good and sweet and kind he really was.

"Mira!" Jason cheered as he rounded the corner and saw the white-haired Fairy Tail beauty sitting in a chair. "You came! That's so COOOOOOL!"

Mira smiled and let out only a small laugh, then stood to her feet. "Of course I did, Jason. You know I never miss a shoot when it's scheduled." She'd always been able to look past the odd reporter's overly excitable attitude, along with his assessment that even the most mundane tasks of a famous mage were, as he put it, 'cool.' She had worked with Jason enough times to know that there was a whole lot more to him than the frantic and spastic escapade he called a career.

"Well, let's go do the interview while they set up the studio! This is gonna be so COOL!" Jason said with a wide grin. He paused at the door and let Mira into the small office that he called his own, and finally felt himself relax when it was just the two of them and the door was closed. Taking long strides around the desk, and finally settling himself in his chair, Jason leaned back and grinned at Mira with his hands behind his head. "Sooooo?" he drawled, almost lazily.

"So?" Mira asked, giggling again. Every interview they did started just like this. They both knew that he'd have to really dig to get her to say something he didn't already know or hadn't already published, but it had become a game of sorts for them. Once it was just herself and Jason, he was relaxed and totally professional. He practically became a completely different person when it was just them: calm, cool—_'Haha,'_ she thought, _'Very punny, Mira.'_—and collected. Although he still held the same level of attentiveness and energy within himself regardless of where he was at, Mira preferred to see him this way. It just came with getting to know one another from working together so often before. "You really should work on your interviewing skills, Jason," Mira tittered, "I think you're getting rusty."

"I heard, you know…" Jason said sadly, running a hand over his face before bringing it up to the single spike in his blonde hair. Mira Jane Strauss was one of the only people he'd ever known that he could really be himself around, and he'd always admired how she could command the attention of anyone she came into contact with while giving everyone that same sweet smile. The two of them had definitely gotten closer since her sister Lisanna had died, but he always knew that someone like Mira would only ever see him in the friends and family category. It didn't really bother him in the slightest, since he was perfectly fine having a great friend like her.

Mira's smile faded in an instant, her face falling and staying like that no matter how hard she tried to hide it. _'Three days… How could he have found out in three days?'_ She cleared away the thickness in her throat and said, "You know… what, exactly?"

Jason sighed and said, "Your brother told me not to bring it up when he scheduled the shoot. I didn't know anything about it beforehand, and I guess he just assumed that I'd already have that information since I _am_ a reporter…" He sighed again and grabbed a box of tissues, passing it across the desk to the white-haired beauty that was blinking rapidly to keep her tears at bay. "He's an asshole, Mira. I don't know what you ever saw in him."

Mira smiled sadly and sniffled. "Off the record?" she asked, her small laugh thick with her emotions. When Jason nodded, giving her only the same encouraging smile she'd grown so accustomed to with him, she sniffled once more. "He wasn't always like that. He used to be so sweet and caring, kind of like a mixture between the old Elfman and the new one…"

"But without calling everything 'manly'?" Jason asked with a smirk, chuckling softly when Mira's smile brightened only a fraction while she nodded.

"What exactly did Elfman tell you, anyway?" Mira asked timidly.

"Only that you and Laxus split up, and you're having a hard time with it. That's why he scheduled the shoot, you know."

"I know. Elfman always takes such good care of me." Mira paused and rung her hands nervously, then looked up at Jason. "It was a mistake, really… Well, I don't know…"

"So talk through it with me. That usually helps."

Mira sighed, her whole body just deflating as she was swarmed with the sense of defeat. "Natsu dragged Lucy into one of the guild brawls by accident, and she ended up flying through the air. She landed with her face in Laxus' lap, and he told her that she should have just asked… When I asked him if he was serious, he told me yes. So, I smashed a full bottle of vodka over his head, broke up with him, and haven't been to the guild for the past three days."

"Again, why were you with him?" Jason frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. "You deserve better than that, Mira."

"I want to forgive him, Jason…"

"Of course you do. That's just the kind of person you are. It's one thing to forgive him for being an asshole, but he should probably be sorry for hurting you before you do that. If he isn't, then he'll just expect you to keep doing it, and he'll get away with whatever he wants."

Mira nodded sadly, feeling her heart breaking all over again. "But… I love him… We've known each other for so long, and I just… I just know that the guy I fell in love with is still in there somewhere. What if I leave him for good and… whatever's left of who he really is inside disappears right along with me?"

Jason stood to his feet and walked around the desk, then knelt on the floor in front of Mira. With his hands gently cupping hers in her lap, he smiled up at her and whispered, "Then that's not who he really was to begin with. We all change, Mira. You and Elfman, Laxus, even me. It's a part of life. You can't keep holding onto the thought of him coming around and being that way because it's just not there anymore. If it is, then he's got some serious soul-searching to do. It's _not_ your job to fix him, only to find happiness. Does he make you happy?"

Mira shrugged and dropped her gaze from Jason's to their intertwined hands in her lap.

"Well, if you don't know whether or not he makes you happy… Then maybe you should drop him like a bad habit and find someone who _does_ make you happy. You're an absolute sweetheart, Mira," Jason said softly, his thumbs lightly stroking her hands. "You deserve to have someone in your life that can appreciate you, not cut you down all the time. You should have someone that loves to see your smile, hear your laugh. Someone that's willing to hold you when you need it, and wipe away your tears without worrying about their image. You deserve a whole world of happiness, and if Laxus is too stupid to realize it, then he's not good enough for you."

"You… You really think so?" Mira whispered, feeling twin streams of joyous and heart shattering tears streaming down her face. She lifted her gaze to meet Jason's, and only saw the soft smile on his face, how caring his eyes were. His hands left hers to gently cup her cheeks, his thumbs brushing away the tears she'd let fall, and Mira's breath caught in her throat at the tenderness he was showing her. She and Jason were friends, and had been for some time, but she'd never known he could be like this.

"Of course I think so. You're the most beautiful, talented, captivating, kind, and caring woman I've ever met, Mira. You deserve so much more than what you've let yourself have."

Jason's words rang through the still air of the office, and all Mira could think about was the fact that she'd never heard something so perfect in all her life. She had never considered Jason as anything more than a friend, a work associate, or just one of the extended members of her Fairy Tail family. But, now she was seeing just how different he was from Laxus—at least, the way Laxus had been for the past year. There were the obvious physical differences between the two blondes, but what really got her was how highly he thought of her, and the fact that he was willing to say it in the first place. It's always nice to hear a compliment from time to time that's not based on her cooking, matchmaking, or her ability to break up fights with just a smile and a menacing aura.

"Let yourself be happy, Mira." Jason saw a tremulous smile grace Mira's cherubic face as she lifted her hands to his cheeks. Her thumbs drew lightly over his cheekbones, and he saw some small shift in her eyes before her hands slid to the back of his neck and yanked him forward.

Mira's lips crashed violently with Jason's, a soft moan spilling from her when she flicked her tongue out to brush along his lower lip. She felt him go rigid, but his mouth parted just enough, so Mira took the opportunity to sweep into his mouth languidly. She wanted to take his advice and let herself be happy. She wanted to move on from the trainwreck that was her relationship with Laxus, and find a man that could see what she had to offer, that could appreciate her for who she was. She wanted someone that made her smile when she needed it most, brushed away her tears, helped her work through her problems, and viewed her as an equal part of the relationship. Jason was all of those things and more, and Mira had never seen it before that day.

Jason, for his part, ended the kiss as quickly as it began. He gently placed his hands on Mira's slim shoulders, and pulled his lips from hers. He saw the sting of rejection in her eyes, followed by guilt and sadness, but all he could do was smile and give her a soft kiss on the cheek. "While I'm flattered," he whispered, "I'm not the one for you, Mira. We're great as friends, and I don't want to jeopardize that. I want to _always_ be the guy you can call when you need someone to vent to. Besides, I know how much you hate it when I starts talking about how 'cool' everything is in public."

Mira smiled sadly and nodded. "That's because it's ridiculous," she teased half-heartedly. "I'm sorry, Jason. I nev—"

Jason grinned and waved her off as he said, "Nothing to apologize for. We'll just call that your rebound kiss. Now, whoever you find that you're interested in will be the real deal. No worries about whether it's too soon or if you're trying to forget about _him_. How does that sound?"

Mira giggled and rolled her eyes, then wrapped her arms around Jason's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. "You're an amazing friend, you know that?"

"Of course I am," Jason said with a grin, his own arms wrapping around her waist. "I talk to people for a living, Mira. I think I'd know how to help my friend out when she needs it the most."

"I think I know what this interview should be about," Mira whispered after a few silent minutes, finally pulling back from the hug and smiling at the blond reporter.

"And what's that?" Jason asked. He slowly stood up and made his way back around his desk, taking a seat and pulling a notebook and pen from a drawer.

"Independence and new beginnings!" Mira said happily.

"I like the sound of that," Jason whispered. "In fact, I think that might be the… COOLEST THING YOU'VE EVER SAID!"

* * *

"Mira, I'm so so so sorry," Lucy whispered as she sat down at the bar and sipped on her strawberry milkshake. "You know I'd—"

Mira smiled softly at Lucy, then placed her hands over the blonde's and nodded. "I know, Lucy. It was an accident, and based on how scared you were I know you didn't mean anything by it. Besides, that's not something you would do in the first place."

"A-Are you… doing okay?" Lucy asked as she turned her hands to lightly grasp Mira's.

Mira nodded again, her smile widening and reaching her eyes even though there was still a small bit of the sadness she felt over giving up on Laxus. "Elfman scheduled an interview with Jason for me to help perk me up. It always does the trick, and Jason's a great guy to talk to when you need a friend."

Lucy snorted and looked incredulously at Mira as she asked, "Really? Even with the 'cool' this and 'cool' that thing?" When Mira giggled and nodded again, Lucy couldn't help but join in. "So, are you in this issue, then?"

"Yep, but I decided to go a different route with the whole thing after talking with Jason," Mira said. She took a quick glance around the guild, noticing that there were still hardly any members in at eight in the morning, then bent down and picked up her own copy of the newest issue of Sorcerer's Weekly. She opened it to the earmarked page and set it on the counter for Lucy to read. "He agreed with me on it, and the photo shoot even got changed. It was originally going to be another bikini spread, but… Well, you see."

Lucy nodded and slowly picked up the magazine as she gaped at the masterful artwork that had been created with Mira Jane Strauss as the focal point. Usually female mages were presented in the magazine in skimpy clothes, lingerie, swimwear, or something along those lines. This time, there were a series of pictures of Mira taken during her interview with Jason. The room they were sitting in was backed with cream colored walls, the furniture all stained a rich cherry color. Mira was sitting and looked as though she was having a conversation with a dear friend, her eyes shining with the same affection that only members of Fairy Tail really got to see from her. Her clothes were nearly the same as what she wore to the guild on a regular basis—nothing overly sexy, just a simple maroon dress with light pink frills along the neckline. Mira's smile showed in one of the pictures as she laughed at something Jason had said, and instead of the forced smile that was used for photo shoots—either showing feigned happiness or sensuality, depending on the nature of the shoot—it was her normal smile that was overflowing with love.

Before Lucy turned the page to see the rest of the photo shoot, she decided to read the article.

_**Mira Jane Strauss: Someone We Can Learn From**_

_ Jason: Mira, I want to know what __**you'd**__ like to talk about in the interview. What's on your mind?_

_ Mira: Well, there are tons of these magazines that circulate Fiore at an alarming rate, and the one thing that never seems to be showcased when it comes to female mages is their strength._

_ Jason: Well, we do talk about magical strength. Take your own guild mate, Erza Scarlet, for example._

_ Mira: True, but that's not the strength I meant. Emotional strength is just as important as physical strength, and even magical strength. If you take away magic, and bring every single person down to the barest representation of who they are, we're all left with one thing: emotions. How we handle situations, whether good or bad, is based on how we feel about them._

_ Jason: I can see where you're coming from with that. Why is something like that on your mind?_

_ Mira: I want to be a role-model for others, Jason. I already am in some respects simply because of how I look or the guild that I'm a part of. I want young girls to see that there's more to who you are than just your ability to do magic, or being physically powerful. There's more than being beautiful and physically attractive. What matters the most is that you always find a way to carve your own path, and stay true to who you are. I lost that for a time, and I'm finally seeing a little more clearly now that I've been able to talk with a dear friend of mine._

_ Jason: You lost who you are?_

_ Mira: Yes. Making excuses for others' actions, refusing to see my own happiness was dwindling by the day because I was too focused on other things. I tried to mold myself to who I thought everyone wanted or needed me to be, instead of asking what __**I**__ wanted out of life._

Lucy smiled softly as she continued read the interview, seeing just what Jason had meant by Mira being someone that everyone could learn from. She'd spoken candidly for the very first time about Lisanna's death, and just how much it had changed her. Mira admitted that she feels like she grew up, and that the way she is now in comparison to when her sister was alive isn't so much her losing herself, but finding out that there's more to life than petty rivalries. Mira didn't mention anything about her break-up with Laxus as Lucy continued reading, and she realized that it was intentional. Everyone knew that those two were together, and it wasn't exactly anyone else's business that they were no longer an item or why. Mira was forging ahead and showing her independence through her own voice, through her own thoughts and actions, without using Master Makarov's grandson as a pedestal to elevate her opinions to a higher degree of importance.

_Jason: Well, Mira I know this might still be a rough topic for you to talk about, but… with the news of your break-up with Laxus Dreyar, what are your plans?_

_ Mira: I plan to just enjoy myself. I want to live every single day to its fullest, and be absolutely happy. Who wouldn't want something like that?_

_ Jason: Do you still love him?_

_ Mira: In a way, yes. I'm sure I'll always love him, but he's also been a part of my life in Fairy Tail for years. I'll always care for him as a guild mate, and consequently as family. In a romantic sense? I don't know. It's still too soon to tell._

_ Jason: We won't get into specifics of the split, but was it something that was a long-time coming?_

_ Mira: Yes. I didn't realize it until that final day, but when I looked back all the signs were there. I just ignored them. I wanted it to work out, so I ignored whatever I needed to so it __**could**__ work out. That's not how I want to live my life anymore._

_ Jason: Do you have your sights set on anyone in particular now that you're not caught in a thunderstorm?_

_ Mira: [laughs] Absolutely not. I don't need to be romantically involved with anyone to validate who I am. I'm going to take this time and really figure out where my priorities are. Adding someone else into the mix just isn't one of those priorities._

_ Jason: I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there that would beg to differ. You're quite the catch._

_ Mira: Well, I do plan on taking my time before trying to put myself back out there, __**but**__ I could definitely name a few that wouldn't turn me down when I'm finally ready to make that move…_

_ Jason: Any hints for us?_

_ Mira: [laughs] Nope. It's a secret!_

Mira smiled when Lucy turned the page the read the last bit of the interview. She looked down at the pictures that filled the pages, and felt lighter than ever. She was proud of what she'd accomplished with that interview, and more proud of the fact that every single picture that was in the magazine was unedited, and almost entirely made up of candid shots from her interview. There was one of her during the story about Lisanna's death, and how it changed the guild as a whole along with herself; it showed Mira's eyes glistening with unshed tears, a few already having broken free from their eyelashed encasement, along with a sad smile on her face. A picture of her talking about how she wanted to find happiness that showed the whole of Fiore that she had true hope for the future. A staged shot of Mira without a single speck of makeup, to let everyone out there know that she was perfectly comfortable with who she was and had nothing to hide. Her absolute favorite though, the one she would always cherish, was the picture of her and Jason sitting on the couch in the studio after the interview was finished: Jason's head was tilted back while he laughed, and Mira's arms were extended high into the air with a broad and ecstatic grin stretching across her face. That picture showed the lighter and more carefree side of herself, sure… but, it was also a shot of her retelling him the story of her breakup with Laxus—only with more hand gestures.

Laxus looked down from the second floor balcony with a frown on his face. He'd heard that Mira was doing an interview for Sorcerer's Weekly, and had assumed it was to bash him into the ground for saying what he had to cause their breakup. He'd been so sure that he'd get tarred and feathered by all of Mira's fans while he made his way to the guild before he actually read the article. If it was the other way around, Mira's name would have been dragged through the mud time and time again until he'd been satisfied that she had truly suffered. Instead, the white-haired woman had used it as an opportunity to do some searching and find out what she wanted out of life. He hadn't seen Mira in the guild since she left him, and it had given him the time he needed to do some thinking of his own. After reading the article in his office—where no one would know he cared enough to take a look—Laxus realized that he fucked up. And in one of the worst ways. Mira was his girl, and she had been as far as he was concerned since joining the guild all those years ago. They were inseparable when it really mattered, and Laxus had felt like the luckiest guy in the world when he finally asked her out a year before, and she said 'yes'. That was all gone, and he really was the one to blame. With a sigh of resignation, knowing that there wasn't a damn thing he could do to repair the damage he'd caused, Laxus turned and stalked back to his office, his coat billowing behind him slightly and his soundpods over his ears.

_Jason: Any last words for our interview today?_

_ Mira: Yes. I'd really like to thank that dear friend of mine for helping me see things clearly. So, to that particular person… You're amazing, and everything I could ever want in a friend. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be doubting myself. You showed me that there's more to me than what others always admired, that I should be proud of what's inside of myself, what I have to offer aside from a pretty picture. This interview might have been about me, but __**you**__ are the one that made it happen. You were the catalyst I needed to see that things would get better, as long as I searched for my own happiness._

* * *

**Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I had such a hard time wrapping my brain around writing Jason, that I was forced to make him OoC just so I didn't shoot myself in the head. Lol.**

**Now, there are several other stories out there that have been written for this March 2015 collaboration, and I highly suggest you check these ladies' stories out! They're truly masterful in their writing, and I couldn't be more proud to know each and every one of them!**

**Chrys Stone:** _CFLA- How Far Will You Go?_ (Lucy, Jason, Yukino); Rated M

**Kairrie:** _CFLA- Behind the Scenes_ (Gajeel, Laxus, Jason); Rated M

**LittlePrincessNana:** _CFLA- You're the Coolest_ (Jason, Levy); Rated T

**Leoslady4ever:** _CFLA- Hold Your Tongue_ (Jason, Lucy); Rated M

**Eien No Touko:** _CFLA- Participant Observation_ (Jason, Lucy); Rated T

**NIchiki:** _CFLA- Code Name Shutterbug_ (Jason, Lucy); Rated T

**NIchiki:** _CFLA- A Fluffy Sandwich_ (Jason, Aries); Rated T

**Dragon'Host:** _CFLA- Commemoration_ (Jason-centric, JasonxMira friendship); Rated T

If you'd like to find these or any of the other monthly collaborations that have been written by members of _The Crack Fiction Liberation Army_, then please visit:

**(fanfiction) community/CFLA-Archives/118692/3/0/1/**

**-Side Note: **I have posted a poll on my profile for the next chapter story I'll be starting on once _He Might Be the One _is finished. For those of you that follow that particular story, I've found my inspiration and I'll get the new chapter out as soon as possible—if school would chill out long enough for me to really get some writing down without feeling guilty for procrastinating! So, please. Head on over and check out the descriptions on my profile for the upcoming stories, and then cast your votes!

**Alrighty. It's time to Review, Follow, and Favorite! I love you guys!**

**~~GemNika, **_**Citric Chancellor of the Crack Fiction Liberation Army.**_

The next prompt, for the month of April, will be:

_**Girl Power: Underloved Female Characters**_.


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